I was at Bella's place, playing Candy Land with her and Lily, when Carlisle called to tell me that he had bought the old house. It had only been a week since our trip to Forks.

"What?" I asked in astonishment.

"Your mother and I have been talking about getting a place close to Seattle anyway, so we can visit all of you easier." He explained. "When you told me about the house being for sale, it felt like a sign."

"That's great, dad." I had no doubt that he and Esme would be spending a lot of time in Forks. Emmett had even mentioned that he and Rosalie had talked about moving back to the area, and then the whole family would be on the same side of the country again. Esme would love that.

"I'm having the place fixed up before I tell your mother, so don't say anything to her."

"I won't." I assured him.

When I had hung up the phone, Bella gave me an inquisitive look.

"What was that about?"

"Carlisle's bought the old house in Forks." I said. "I called him last week and told him about it being for sale, and apparently he and Esme have been discussing getting a place close to Seattle, so he bought it."

"That's great." She smiled. "I'm glad the place won't be abandoned anymore, it didn't feel right to see it like that."

"Then we can visit grandma and grandpa all the time!" Lily exclaimed happily.

"Maybe not all the time." I didn't want her to expect too much. "They won't be living at the house, just staying there when they come to visit."

"Oh." She looked so disappointed; I couldn't help but try to cheer her up again.

"But I'm sure they'll visit more often."

"Yay!"

Bella looked at me over Lily's head, a smile on her face. I raised my eyebrows in a silent question, but she just shook her head.

"She's really got you wrapped around her little finger." She commented a little later, when I had put Lily to bed and was about to leave.

Since I couldn't really deny that, I simply shrugged.

xxxxx

At the end of November, the house was finished, and Carlisle and Esme came to inspect it. We all went up to Forks together, wanting to see the result of the renovations.

"It looks just like it used to again." Bella noted when we drove behind Carlisle into the open space surrounding the house. The lawn had been cleared of all the wild vegetation.

I was happy to see that she was right. The house no longer looked like something out of a horror film; the broken windows had been replaced and the façade had been returned to its former state. It looked exactly like it had when we had left, more than six years earlier.

We got out of the car, and I saw Esme staring up at the house.

"You OK, mom?" I asked, putting an arm around her shoulders. The others went into the house, but we stayed behind for a moment.

"I've missed this place." She said quietly.

"I know. Me too."

Bella

The weekend after we went to see the house in Forks, Alice convinced me to agree to a girls' night out with her and Angela. The two of them had become close over the past two months. It was Edward's weekend with Lily, and I didn't have anything else planned, anyway.

We went to a night club that had just opened and was supposed to be the place to be at the moment. The music was good, and the drinks decent, but the place was a little too crowded in my opinion. I preferred not having to elbow my way through a crowd when I went out.

We found a table in one of the corners, overlooking the dance floor and the bar. After a while, Angela nudged me.

"That guy is totally checking you out." She mumbled, nodding discretely in the direction of the bar. I waited a moment, then turned to see who she was talking about, pretending to be looking for the restrooms.

I spotted the guy immediately; he was sitting at the bar, his attention on our table. When our eyes met, he smiled at me.

He was pretty good looking. Blond hair, brown eyes, tanned. A couple of months ago, I probably would have smiled back at him and accepted the drink I had no doubt that he was about to come over and offer me. But now, a flash of green held me back.

"I'm not in the mood." I shrugged, turning back to the girls.

"Not in the mood?" Angela repeated in a disbelieving voice. "Sweetie, when was the last time you went out on a date?"

"You probably know that better than me." I said pointedly.

"July, that's when."

"See?"

"Seriously, Bella, you have to live a little." Alice said.

"I said I wasn't in the mood, not that I was joining a convent." I replied dryly, not appreciating the way they were ganging up on me. My love life – or lack thereof – was none of their business.

"Come on, one night of fun won't hurt." Angela insisted. "He's obviously got the hots for you, and you never have to see him again if you don't want to."

"I didn't agree to go out with you so that you could throw me at the first guy who showed an interest." I finished my drink and jumped off the high stool, wobbling a little from the alcohol in combination with my already limited sense of balance. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Alice

"I'm going to the bathroom."

I looked after Bella as she stalked away, shaking my head.

"That girl needs some serious fun." Angela said beside me. I couldn't agree more.

An idea occurred to me.

"I think we might have to do something about that." I said thoughtfully.

Angela glanced over at the guy at the bar, who had realized that Bella was a lost cause and moved on to a blonde at a table closer to where he was sitting.

"Not him!"

Angela looked at me, confused. I could see when she realized what I was talking about, because a scheming smile appeared on her face.

"I like the way you think."

"I mean, it's perfectly obvious to everyone but themselves that they're still in love." I started.

"Definitely." Angela interjected.

"But neither of them will ever do anything about it." I continued.

"Nope." She agreed.

"Well, we'll just have to take matters into our own hands, then, won't we?"

Bella

I sulked off into the bathroom. I had been looking forward to having fun with the girls, but I should have known that they'd pull something like this. Angela was always trying to get me out into the dating scene, for my own good, according to her. And Alice… well, she was Alice, after all. What had I expected?

I locked the door behind me and leaned my forehead against the cool surface of the wall.

Why was I so reluctant? It wasn't like he had any feelings for me anymore. Why was I holding back for him?

I was still in love with Edward; I had admitted that much to myself already. But it wasn't like anything was ever going to happen, so why didn't I smile at the guy at the bar and let him buy me a drink? He might not be The One, but I would never find Mr. Right if I didn't get out there.

But Mr. Right isn't out there, a little voice said. I sighed, and closed my eyes.

I would never be able to move on if I didn't get over him. But right now, the mere thought of that hurt almost physically. I would just have to let nature take its course, and hope that time would help me to move on.

Edward

November ended, and December brought with it a layer of snow over Seattle. Lily was ecstatic; she loved snow. I bought her a sledge, and we spent our afternoons in winter wonderland, racing down hills, building snow-men and having snowball-fights.

Carlisle and Esme were spending Christmas in Forks, and Emmett and Rosalie were going with them. Alice and Jasper were going up the Saturday before the holidays, and Bella, Lily and I were driving up the day before Christmas Eve, since Bella had to work. We were all staying at the house; there was more than enough room. Bella and Lily were going over to Charlie's to celebrate with him, Sue, Seth and Leah on Christmas Day. Renée and Phil were going on a cruise in the Caribbean over the holidays, so they weren't joining us.

I had already started buying Christmas presents for Lily; Bella had told me not to get her too much stuff, saying that she would get used to it. I tried to follow her directions, but it was very difficult. I wanted my little girl to have everything she could ever wish for.

I was also trying to find a present for Bella, which wasn't easy. I knew that she would never accept anything expensive, like the new car she desperately needed, but I still wanted to get her something that was meaningful.

The last Friday before Christmas, I found myself in a quaint little second-hand bookshop a few blocks from Pike Place Market. I scanned the shelves, not sure what I was looking for, when something caught my eye.

It was a beautiful, leather bound copy of Pride and Prejudice, Bella's favorite book. I remembered how she used to keep a copy of it in her bag wherever she went, and also the first edition Great Expectations she had gotten me for my birthday six years earlier. I quickly bought the book; I was sure that she would love it.

That night, Lily was staying over at Catie's, so I would have the evening to myself before I picked her up in the morning. Bella had a few busy days at work before we would be going up to Forks the following Wednesday, so Lily was staying with me a couple of days extra.

I had just turned on the television when the phone rang at six.

"Hello?"

"Hi little brother."

"Hey, Alice." I couldn't help but smile at her cheerful voice. Alice had that effect on people.

"What you doing?"

"Just watching TV. Did you want something?"

"Geez, I can't call my favorite brother just to talk?" I didn't answer that. "Fine. I just wanted to let you know that Catie's got the flu, so Lily isn't staying there tonight, and I thought you might want to pick her up for your weekend."

"Oh. Well, thanks."

"Yeah yeah."

"I'm sorry I was rude, Alice." I apologized

"I might have to return the Christmas gift I got you; you haven't been a good boy."

"Please, Ali?" I used my most persuasive voice that I knew usually worked on her. "I'm really, really sorry."

"Fine." I heard her sigh over the line. "See you on Wednesday."

"Bye, Alice."

I hung up the phone and called Bella to let her know that I was coming over to pick Lily up, but the line was busy. I decided to just head over; I could wait if Lily wasn't ready to go. Besides, Bella could be calling me to fill me in on the situation.

The snow covering the streets made the city quiet, calmer somehow. I drove slowly, not wanting to lose control of the car on some icy spot. It took me almost twenty minutes to get to their building, since I got stuck behind a plow on the ninety-nine. When I finally got there, I hurried up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"What are you doing here?" Bella asked, eyebrows raised, when she opened the door.

"Hello to you too." I said sarcastically. "I came to pick up Lily."

"But she's staying at Catie's tonight, I told you that."

What?

At that moment, my phone chirped.

"Hang on."

I pulled the phone from my pocket. A text message from Alice.

Merry Christmas ;-)